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Imagery
Definition of Irony
Irony is a literary device or event in which how things seem to be is in fact very different from how they actually are. If this seems like a loose definition... read full definition
Irony is a literary device or event in which how things seem to be is in fact very different from how they actually are. If this... read full definition
Irony is a literary device or event in which how things seem to be is in fact very different from how... read full definition
Irony
Explanation and Analysis—Out-With:
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas relies heavily on dramatic irony. In a work of fiction, dramatic irony occurs when the reader knows more about what’s truly going on in a story than its characters do. Aside from its final chapter, the entirety of this novel is written from the naive perspective of Bruno, a nine-year-old child. Bruno is old enough to be curious, but is also too young and sheltered to understand the horrors around him. This approach creates tension between the reader’s awareness of Auschwitz and the Holocaust and Bruno’s simplistic, often misguided interpretations of what the adults around him are doing.
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Chapter 14
Explanation and Analysis—Imaginary Friend:
On a rainy day, Gretel bullies Bruno into telling her about Shmuel; Bruno lies and says Shmuel is an “imaginary friend.” Here, the author uses idiom and verbal irony to show Gretel’s dismissive attitude toward her brother’s playmate:
Unlock with LitCharts A+'He sounds like a barrel of laughs,' said Gretel. 'I wish he was my imaginary friend.'
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Chapter 18
Explanation and Analysis—Bruno and Shmuel:
When Bruno puts on the camp uniform Shmuel brings him, he and his friend suddenly look almost identical. The situational irony in this passage highlights the frailty of the imaginary distinctions the Nazis imposed during the Holocaust:
Unlock with LitCharts A+It was quite extraordinary. If it wasn't for the fact that Bruno was nowhere near as skinny as the boys on his side of the fence, and not quite so pale either, it would have been difficult to tell them apart. It was almost (Shmuel thought) as if they were all exactly the same really.
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